Vance Publishing adds sales, marketing power to Protein Division

Rick Patton has added responsibility as the newly named Business Development Executive – Production Agriculture for Vance Publishing Corporation. This is one of several moves in January as Vance strengthens its investment in the protein and production agriculture markets it serves.

Patton will continue to lead the sales and marketing efforts of the AgProfessional brand, while assuming new responsibilities as the sales lead for porkNetwork, Drovers/CattleNetwork, Bovine Veterinarian and Dairy Herd Management. In addition to his sales responsibilities, Patton will identify and develop new areas of communications marketing designed to increase the value of Vance's transactional platforms between marketers and producers/ranchers.

Patton has extensive experience in the agricultural industry, including 17 years with American Cyanamid/BASF where he held numerous positions including District Sales Manager; Product Manager - PROWL herbicide; Director of Distribution Channel Strategies; Marketing Manager; and Director of Marketing for BASF's North American Crop Protection business. He became Vice President of Marketing for Doane Advisory Services in 2003, and has been with Vance since 2005 when Vance acquired the Doane properties.

Shonda Anderson Atwater joins Vance Jan. 21 as Market Operations Manager for the Protein division. Atwater will have responsibility for marketing all four protein brands and other client service and project management duties.

Atwater has worked for National Beef Packing Company and Certified Hereford Beef LLC and also worked in the Department of Agricultural Economics at Kansas State University, where she received her Master of Science in Agricultural Economics.

In addition to those moves, Vice President & Publishing Director Shawn Etheridge has added the protein brands to his responsibility. He had previously led Vance’s produce and crops divisions.

“Vance is committed to the livestock segment, and these personnel changes further demonstrate our focus to better serve the marketplace,” Etheridge said. “We're reconfiguring our structure in order to invest in personnel closer to the market, with the many agencies and advertisers that we consider partners.”

“We will continue to invest in the livestock segment, further enhancing Vance’s leadership position in the print and digital arenas, while seeking out innovative new approaches that provide value for all stakeholders in the marketplace.”